1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compression sleeve for use with a system for intermittently squeezing a patient's limb to accelerate the flow of blood therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to a compression system having a means for providing a pressurized fluid, a compression sleeve for applying gradient sequential compression to a patient's limb, and a connector for providing fluid flow between the pressurized source and the sleeve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
External pneumatic leg compression reduces venus stasis by intermittently squeezing the leg and accelerating deep venus blood flow. It also enhances blood fibrinolytic activity. Intermittent compression of the leg is effective against venus thrombosis in patients undergoing many types of surgery. The usual treatment is to wrap compressive sleeves having a plurality of pressure compartments around the limb of a patient and then intermittently pressurize the sleeve to successively apply pressure compression to different parts of the limb.
The prior art devices include a variety of compression devices which provide pressure against a patient's limb through a pressure sleeve which encircles the patient's limb. One of the shortcomings of the compression devices of the prior art is that the chambers of each sleeve are not capable of independent inflation. In some devices pressurized fluid is fed to a first chamber and after a partial inflation air flows to an adjacent chamber through a foam-filled conduit. Another disadvantage of some of the compression sleeves of the prior art is that the devices use air vent openings on the inner side of the sleeve next to the patient's limb to ventilate the limb so that the sleeve will be comfortable. The construction of sleeves of the prior art has been to place an outer sheet over an inner thermoplastic sheet secured only at limited areas. Such sleeve construction does not have good dimensional stability and thus does not retain the best shape during use. In addition, another disadvantage of many of the prior sleeves is that they are not sealed at their outer edges. Yet another disadvantage of the prior art compression sleeves is that some of them do not fit snugly around the patient's limb because the side edges of the sleeve or chamber form a straight line.